Jade
by MugiwaraMarimo
Summary: Zoro's been a crank...more so than normal. For Shaetil of Tumblr. She had been bugging me about writing this for a while now. *Note: This is NOT a part of the Emerald story line. This is strictly me humoring my friend! 3 For the Marimo on his birthday!
1. Jade

Zoro had been crankier than usual. The broody moody dragon snarling more at everyone and drinking more than his fair share of the alcohol in the wine cellar. If Sanji had it his way, he would have cut the damned reptile off long ago, but as it so happened, the other man practically ran the house it seemed some days, so the cellar stayed open and Sanji continuously yelled at him to shut the light off. Why in the hell did he even need the light on in the first place? It wasn't like Zoro could _see_ in the basement anyways. The hell? Just a waste of electricity too.

Angrily the chef pulled the cigarette butt from his mouth and stomped on it before bending to pick it up and throw it in the can behind the table. He could have just thrown it there to begin with, but Sanji was kinda pissed off himself right now. "Hey Cook! I can smell you, I know you're there."

"What?!" Sanji barked, turning his glare to the vined doorway as Zoro appeared from the garden. The cook swallowed upon seeing the other man though, unconsciously taking a step back and falling into the chair. Zoro was just simply stunning today. Hair wet and spiky, droplets trailing down his neck and chest, coursing over perfectly tanned skin that the chef knew there was no tan line to. A towel was held loosely in one hand as he narrowed that white eye and cocked his head to the side like some sort of damned dog. Hell Sanji could just picture him with pointed ears pitched forwards to match the dumb look on his face.

"When's lunch?" The question seemed so innocent, but coming from the blind shit head it was anything but.

"When I get around to it ya newt." The cook rolled his eyes, toeing off his shoes as a distraction, but it wasn't proving to be very helpful. He wanted to look and it was hard to keep his eyes from flicking to the other and trailing over every definition indent that littered that body.

Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance and huffed, swiping the towel across his bare chest once more. Leaning backwards into a full body stretch, Sanji watched as the dragon rocked up onto his toes, arms arcing out over his head and he gave a long low groan of approval. There were several cracks, which the blond could only assume were the dragon's spine and with a roll of his shoulders, Zoro sighed contently and walked towards Sanji.

The blond eyed the dragon up as he came to stand before him. Zoro didn't sit in the other chair, instead crossing his arms and squaring his feet as his sightless gaze looked down at the chef. It was really hard for Sanji to focus his attention to the scar on the bridge of Zoro's nose, not wanting to stray from that point and get caught gawking at the other. It still wasn't clear to him how the damned lizard could see, but he knew better than to test the theory. He had been around him long enough and through enough with him to know better. Casually Sanji scratched at his arm as he silently begged Zoro to move so he could try to hold a conversation with him.

All he got was a chuckle in reply and a broad hand wiping water drops across tanned abs. Smearing the fluid so it glistened in the shaded sun that filtered through the vine roof over their heads. Sanji licked his lips and bit his lower one to keep the sound he wanted to make from coming out. "You've gone quiet Cook." Zoro's tone was like liquid honey, hot and smooth, making the chef want to melt into the chair and just listen to him speak.

"Sh—Shuddup!" It was a reflex to yell at him and he kicked out with his foot, connecting with his bare heel to Zoro's shin. The dragon grunted and leaned forwards, snapping a hand to the cook's shoulder and leaning in close to his face.

"You really want to fight me right now? I'm in that kinda mood."

All Sanji could smell was salt. Zoro must have gone swimming in the waters surrounding the island and not his pool. The heady smell of the ocean mixed with that weird earthly musk that always clung to the dragon was intoxicating. The blond flicked his eyes down to the dragon's scarred lips, tracing the thin line with his eyes through the rounded edge of his lower lip as the green haired man parted them slightly to take a breath. His tongue darted out to wet them before he spoke again. "You up for a fight Cook?" The deep voice rumbled and Sanji desperately wanted to feel it vibrate against his skin.

"I'm always ready for a chance to kick your ass moss head." Sanji growled the words, but they really didn't hold any true threat as he pressed his forehead against the dragon's. Zoro chuckled lightly, standing back up and rolling his neck. The popping cracks were heard even over the chair as it scraped on stone at Sanji standing.

Zoro wasted no more words as he turned and walked back out into the yard, not waiting for Sanji either as he calmly made his way to the grass and tree where the two had spent countless hours sparing and training. Coming to a stop at the edge of the shade that was cast on the ground by the leaves, the green haired man looked back over his shoulder to Sanji, the white eye seeming to find him almost instantly. Sanji had grown used to it, but there was always that slight wonder at how the other creature did so. "I'ma go easy on you. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. Why didn't you go fishing while you were swimming?" Taking the leap that Zoro had in fact been in the waters surrounding them, the blond stepped back into a defensive stance. Scowling at his opposite, Sanji watched as the dragon did the same, hands coming up in loose fists near his collar bones.

"Didn't want to." Zoro shrugged, wrinkling his nose. "Less talk, more fighting."

"Yeah yeah..." Keeping his voice level, Sanji moved, striking off towards his right, but doubling back to his left before dropping forwards onto his hands and kicking his feet up in an attempt to throw the dragon off guard. There was a grunt and Sanji felt Zoro's arm against the front of his foot, but he was still moving, swinging his leg down as he pivoted on his hands. The plan was to sweep the newt's legs out from under him and he half made it, connecting with one ankle at the same time a hand snapped into his shirt and yanked him back to his feet.

Sharp canines grabbed his attention as Zoro grinned at him, baring his teeth before he pushed Sanji back, making him stumble a couple paces before he regained his balance. "The hell was that for Zoro?"

"The hell you doing trying to trip me up Cook?" He snapped back, waving a hand at the blond in frustration.

"Isn't that the point of sparring with you?" Crossing his arms, the cook smirked. Zoro's mood wasn't improving at all, if anything the stupid gecko was getting angrier. There was a low growl, something farther feral than Sanji had heard from him before and he bared his teeth at the blond. "Yes," Sanji responded, not really impressed and even less afraid of the action. "That will teach me."

"When I bite you in half it will!" Zoro barked, his whole face contorting into a rage.

"The hell is your issue anyways?" Sanji dropped his arms to his sides and tilted his head slightly. "You've been a huge jerk the last couple weeks. Well bigger than normal. You're always a jerk."

"Fuck you Cook!" Zoro's words were growled out and Sanji rolled his eyes as the dragon began to pace back and forth like a caged animal. Sometimes he really didn't understand how such an intellectual being could act like a caged zoo tiger. Never mind, strike that, he could totally see how Zoro would act that way. His hands snapped into fists as he growled again. His gaze never left Sanji as he continued on with his crazy immature fit.

"We gonna spar or what? Cause as much fun as it is watching you wear a hole into your cousins, I have shit I need to do today." Suddenly he really wanted a cigarette and Sanji gnawed at his lip waiting for Zoro to either stop pacing or tell him to scram. He thought about just walking away, but he would never hear the end of it if he did. Besides part of him really wanted to fight Zoro since he seemed so tense and on edge.

With another low growl, Zoro spun on his foot, digging his toes into the grass and lounging for Sanji, arm coming back as if he was going to swing at him. The cook back pedaled, barely throwing his head back in time, feeling the breeze of the dragon's swing brush his cheek as he passed. The blond brought his knee up and Zoro's hand smacked against it as he tried to throw off the blond's balance.

Sanji went with the motion, moving his weight to that foot as it touched the ground, bringing his other knee up as he grabbed at Zoro's bare shoulders for leverage. Both the dragon's arms came up, forearms pushing against the blond's and Sanji's fingers slipped off easily without anything to really hold on to. Zoro chuckled as he ducked low, the chef's kick going wide. A tanned shoulder hit the cook's stomach, knocking the breath from him. With a useless gasp, the blond scrabbled at Zoro's back at the dragon knocked them both to the grass.

With a thump, Zoro slammed the blond's shoulders into the dirt once more, huffing a laugh down at him. His entire face lit up for a moment and Sanji was willing to let the pain in his shoulders slide before the other man's head snapped up and the grin turned into his normal scowl. Opening his mouth as he was finally able to take a deep breath, the chef pushed at the dragon's chest, but the lizard was already sitting back on his knees, straddling the cook's lower legs. His attention was else where though and Sanji raised himself up on his elbows, tipping his head back to see Master Mihawk walking towards them up the path.

"Am I interrupting anything vitally important?" The manor master raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head down to stare at the two men on the grass. With a grunt Zoro rose to his feet, stepping back from Sanji so he could stand as well. "Mister Black...is there a reason that you have not prepared lunch yet?"

"Um..." Sanji was speechless as he simply shook his head and tried to dust off his pants. There were grass stains on his knees and he was really glad this was just a shitty pair of old jeans he happened to throw on this morning. "No, I will get right on that."

"See that you do. Perona told me she would be by to see you after wards. Do be present for her instructions." With a sharp nod, the older man turned, hands clasping together behind his back. He didn't wait for Sanji to respond, nor ask if the chef had other plans. His word was final and that was the end of it. "Oh, and Zoro," he paused, looking back over his shoulder to the two of them. Sanji glanced over to the dragon as he felt his whole body stiffen next to him. The entire relationship those two had was very complex and confusing to the blond most of the time. "Happy Birthday."

The sound the dragon made next to Sanji was one he hadn't heard before. Something between a squeak and a growl. How it was even possible, the chef didn't know, but as he turned back to Mihawk with wide eyes and slack jaw, he did hear a familiar sound. A deep and low growl combined along with the tell tale splash of water that meant the dragon had taken his true form.

Master Mihawk ignored the goings on behind him as he walked back to the house, which Sanji found curious, but not as interesting as the fact that it was Zoro's birthday? Could he even have one? Nothing in any of the books he had read had said anything about the four brothers having a birthday. They just...were. Maybe it was something else that they just called the newt's birthday. "Zoro..." Turning his head, the blond meant to ask him, but the dragon was gone, leaving nothing more than a puddle of water at the edge of Sanji's toes. Frowning down at it, he gave a deep sigh and wandered towards the house to start lunch. Wasn't anything he could do about the water lizard right now anyways.

* * *

><p>The afternoon proved to be extremely tiresome for the cook. Perona had a list of things she wanted him to prepare and bake for this party she was putting together for Zoro that night. As much as he adored the pink haired girl, he couldn't help the look of pure shock at her list and almost dropped his lit cigarette into his lap as his open mouthed shock took over. "You have got to be kidding me, my dear. You are not feeding an army here."<p>

Perona had only giggled and tapped the paper once more before getting up and pressing a kiss to Sanji's cheek. "Thanks Sanji; you're the best! I can't wait to see all the yummy things you are going to make for this!"

Zoro had been scarce all day, grudgingly showing for dinner and that was only because Perona was dragging him into the room by his arm. He grumbled through the meal, not really eating, which was rare for the dragon and leaving before anyone could so much as utter 'Happy Birthday' to him. Well they tried, but every time someone opened their mouth to do so, they were met with a fierce glare and bared canines. How the man could look so feral in his human form, Sanji wasn't sure, but he did, lips pulled back from those long white teeth in what the chef could only describe as a silent hiss. No one bothered to explain to Sanji why the reptile seemed to hate this day either. That part of the equation apparently wasn't important enough.

The blond gave a sigh, running fingers through wet hair and shutting off the water from his shower. He was just glad it was over now. Prep and cleanup had been a nightmare. He wasn't done yet though, still needing to take care of one last thing before he turned in for the night. Dragon or no; no one went hungry on his watch. Zoro had to have been starving by now, the food Perona insisted on making not something the blind bastard normally ate. Sanji knew just by looking at the list and it was only confirmed when the other man spent more time picking apart a piece of bread to feed to Robin's ravens than he did eating anything.

Running a towel through his hair, the blond pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of sweats before he made his way back to the kitchen. Normally Sanji wouldn't be caught dead in his domain barefoot but he didn't want to bother with putting his shoes back on either. Walking over to the cooler, he pulled it open and easily located the covered container he had put in there earlier.

In the little bit of down time he had during his afternoon, Sanji had given an annoyed sigh and pulled out his phone, dropping onto one of the bar stools and pulling his notepad close to him as he looked up recipes online that he could make for the dragon. Going with the whole "Zoro's an Oriental Dragon" he found several recipes he thought the reptile would like and managed to make them in between everything else. He would have offered them at dinner, but Perona would have been upset as well and the chef wasn't inclined to make the lady unhappy.

Kicking the door closed with his foot, the chef smiled smugly to himself as he picked up the soy sauce and chopsticks, walking over to the basement door and flicking on the light. Honestly he could only guess that Zoro was down in his den, but it was the place to start as it was more private than the pool was and no one really dared venture down there for two reasons. One: Zoro wasn't exactly the friendliest of creatures when you entered into his space, Sanji knew that lesson first hand; and second, you had to tempt the wrath of the cook by entering his kitchen and no one wanted to do that.

Breathing out an exhale at seeing the _Roronoa_ door open, Sanji stepped over an empty bottle and quietly walked to the hole in the wall. His eyes trailed calmly over the swords in their rack, all the times he and the dragon had sparred with them coming back to him. The tanned skin would shine in the sun, a thin layer of sweat matting Zoro's hair and trailing down the curves of his muscles.

Sanji swallowed thickly...he wasn't here for that. He needed to make sure Zoro ate. Clearing his throat, the blond took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into the darkness of the dragon's den. "Zoro?! You down here?" A heat hit him; a gust of warm air and Sanji closed his eyes against it, feeling it flow over his skin and warm his face. It wasn't unpleasant and was actually very similar to the breeze he had felt the last time he was here. A sign that the dragon was here perhaps?

Grumbling at not getting an answer, Sanji fumbled for his phone in his pocket and flicked to the flashlight app, blinking and jerking his head away from his camera lens when he went to inspect the light as it delayed in relaying the message from app to phone. Rolling his eyes at himself, the blond turned the light deeper into the darkness and proceeded forwards

Honestly he was quite impressed with the underground space. It was large and open, well as open as a hole underground could be, with a small trickle of a stream running deeper in. Putting two and two together quite easily, Sanji decided that following the water would most likely bring him to Zoro, if in fact the beast was even down here. His breath actually caught in his throat when he rounded a small corner.

Zoro was indeed here, curled up in the middle of a large hollowed out room. Some sort of weird glowing moss hung from the walls and ceiling, casting the entire room in a surreal blue and making Zoro's scales shine in the dim light. Sanji shut the bright light off on his phone and pocketed it once more as he glanced around the cavern. The trail of water wove off to his right, down a little ways were it trickled into a calm pool, memory sparking that was most likely where the splash of last time had come from and sure enough that far off dripping sound followed.

Heat radiated from down here as well and the cook wondered if it had to do with Zoro. The man always seemed warm to the touch and he never complained of the cold, seeming to actually enjoy the freezing waters of his pool and ocean, yet he also enjoyed laying out in the sun for hours. Reptiles were weird the blond decided and left it at that.

The stone under his feet was smooth and warm as well and cautiously Sanji stepped forwards, one foot in front of the other, as he gripped the plastic edges of his food tray tightly. He didn't want to startle Zoro and take the chance of getting his bones broken again...or worse, but he did want the blind bastard to eat.

Zoro hadn't moved, nose buried under the end of his tail, eyes closed. The dark green tuft of hair looked almost black in the light, the very tips weaving back and forth quietly from the steady breaths of the lizard. His whole body was coiled together, feet tucked under his long belly as he breathed evenly. He had to be asleep. There was no other explanation for his lack of reaction. Taking a deep breath, Sanji cleared his throat and spoke calmly, not sure how his voice would make the sleeping newt react down here. "Zoro..."

At any other point in his life, Sanji was pretty sure even he would be screaming and running for his life when a _dragon_ of all things woke, but given the slow deep inhale and the lazy flick of his tail, Zoro wasn't startled in the slightest. Once more, the blond was in awe at the creature before him, his scales rippling in the blue light and casting a mydrid of blues and greens along them as the long body slid out of its coils and stretched.

Obsidian claws dug into the rock under them as the reptile yawned, long and sharp teeth gleaming an eery blue in the light. Thin trails of saliva connected the jaws as whiskers flicked about and Zoro finally opened his eye lazily, looking at Sanji and pinning the blond to his spot. "What do you think you are doing Cook?" His voice was deep, rumbling along the ground and up through Sanji's feet, making his whole body vibrate.

The words were growled out dangerously as the dragon rose to his feet and Sanji swallowed once more, a fear twisting his gut. This has been a huge mistake! He watched in shocked silence as the third of the four brothers moved from his bedding and slid silently into the waters of his underground pool. He disappeared completely and for a moment Sanji thought that maybe Zoro had chosen to ignore him and would just go back to sleep under the water when several bubbles broke the surface.

A wet head of green hair broke the water a second later and Zoro inhaled deeply, swimming to the edge of the water and standing, walking towards Sanji completely naked. Instantly the blond bit his lip, mentally repeating the mantra of _don't look down_ over and over again in his head. Fuck! He should have known this was a possibility as well! Of course the shitty bastard would be naked in his own...bedroom? Why hadn't he taken that into consideration? Oh yeah, that's right, because he was more concerned with him eating.

He tried to focus on the water in his hair, the way the strands clung together and looked like azure grass in the light. The way the water trailed over his temples and curved over the swell of his cheeks, having to make a sudden turn for the scars of his face and track down those instead. The chef didn't miss the way the dragon's tongue darted out, licking water off his lip as he stepped closer, head titled down slightly as he sniffed at what Sanji had. It really did amuse him at some times how much animal instinct Zoro seemed to possess, doing things that no true intelligent being would do.

That knotted pit of fear in his stomach gave way to one of want as he let his eyes flick to Zoro's chest, watching as the water threaded along the scar there as well, a tanned hand coming up to brush away the drops as the other poked at the box in Sanji's hands. "Whatcha got? The plastic is messing with my sense of smell."

"Well now that I know how to throw off your senses..." Sanji trailed off, forcing himself to flick his eyes back to the dragon's. Zoro's eye shown with the faintest hint of blue, making it appear like the color of the morning sky when the first rays of light hit the night sky. It was captivating and he didn't even realize he had stopped talking till the dragon smacked him in the shoulder with the back of his hand.

"I'm sure you didn't dare venture in here just to fuck with me. What do you want?" Turning his back on Sanji, which, while the blond was greatly appreciate of, eyes automatically going to the perfect globes of muscle the dragon called his ass, eyes tracking the water as it worked its way towards tanned thighs with each step, angered him just the same. With a stretch, the green haired man plunked down in the middle of the nest thing he had been sleeping in and tilted his head expectantly at Sanji. "Well?"

"Uh..." Shaking his head and trying to get a hold on himself, Sanji took a couple steps towards the weird bed as well, stopping at the edge and glancing down at it. He couldn't really call it a bed, since there was no mattress and he grinned to himself at the massive amounts of what appeared to be moss lining the small hollowed out bowl impression in the rock. There were tons of blankets and pillows though, some ripped to shreds, others looking almost brand new. So even Zoro liked to be comfortable when he slept, who would have guessed from the way he slept in that damned wooden lounge chair all the time. "I saw you didn't eat tonight, so I made you some things I thought would better suit your pallet."

"Oh being considerate for once huh Cook?" Raising a hand, Zoro waved it in a small arc, indicating that it was okay for the blond to step into this most secluded and private of places Zoro had. Slowly he did so, taking caution to watch where he stepped and thanking himself that he had decided to go barefoot, he really couldn't hurt much with no shoes on. "Stop being a pansy," Zoro snorted at him, dropping his hands to his knees and sitting up straight, seeming to read his thoughts. "You can't hurt anything."

Looking up from his feet was the wrong thing do to. There was something...overwhelming at the dragon sitting cross legged in the middle of this nest bowl naked. Everything was on display and Sanji bit his tongue before the groaned gasp of want left him. Water twinkled like blue gems across tanned skin and that line of dark green hair was matted perfectly by the water, trailing down to the gloriously exposed length of the dragon. How many times Sanji had been in a similar position...well it was about a daily occurrence honestly and he was a tad embarrassed to admit that he probably knew what Zoro looked like almost as well as he knew himself, but it never stopped his heart from beating faster and his groin from stirring. How a blind dragon could choose such a perfect human form was unknown to Sanji. But then it occurred to him...Zoro wasn't always blind. Maybe he taken this form for a reason. A reason possibly long forgotten by the blind man.

Well whatever it was, Sanji was thanking him silently as he took those last few steps up to Zoro shakily, bending down at the waist so he could explain what he had brought the other man to eat. The second the lid was pulled off the box and the green haired man got a whiff of the food, his hands came up, groping a little until they covered Sanji's. The wet heat that emanated from his contact was instant and the chef sucked in a sharp breath before he pulled his hands away, clearing his throat and answering the water lizard's excited exclamation of: "I smell fish!"

"Yes...I made sushi for you and some onigiri with fresh tuna in them. I figured it would be much more to your liking than Perona's cupcakes." As he spoke he held out the chopsticks to the dragon, frowning when the other didn't take them before it dawned on him the salamander most likely wasn't even aware of what Sanji was doing. Clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes, the blond reached out and took a hold of Zoro's hand, letting the heat seep into his own pale skin. He carefully worked the dragon's fingers open and placed the slim pieces of wood into his palm before closing them once more.

"Oh..." Zoro's voice trailed off as he held the chop sticks in one hand and the dish in the other. The two were silent a moment as Sanji took in the blind features once more. The scar over his eye seemed the deepest, most likely the reason for him loosing it, the blue light of the moss casting gray shadows along it. It reminded the chef of a deep trench untouched by the morning rays of the sun. The one over his nose wrinkled as the dragon scrunched his face, sniffling slightly and lowering the box to his lap. The chef's eyes trailed down to the one that bit through the lower lip as the dragon parted them slightly.

Sanji wanted to kiss him. Had wanted to kiss him for a very long time. He wasn't sure when that initial attraction became something more, but he was aware that it had. Besides the pang of lust that always seemed to flare up just by looking at the human form of the dragon, he found he was seeking out the other for mere companionship. There was something almost soothing about taking his afternoon prep out to the pool and peeling potatoes while Zoro snored in the sun next to him. "Cook..." There was an unusual soft tone to Zoro's voice and the blond snapped back to reality, pulling his hand from those tanned fingers and swallowing.

"Yeah?" The word hitched slightly and he cleared his throat, moving to stand back up.

Zoro's hand that held the chopsticks snapped up, pressing against the side of his neck and making Sanji still. It wasn't an aggressive move, but one that the chef felt was a mere question of asking him to wait, to not pull away quite yet. He could feel the dragon's fingers shifting against his skin, opening and closing as he worked the wood around in the strong digits and Sanji heard them drop to the stone as Zoro's hand cupped the back of his neck. "...stay..."

The word was barely spoken, the heat of the dragon's breath right against Sanji's mouth and he opened his eyes wide in shock. The chef wasn't even sure when he closed them, when he got lost in the feeling of that heat on his skin, but he had and Sanji whimpered slightly at how close the other man was. The pressure on his neck was a guide, a signal to bend further still and Sanji did so willingly, thankful for his flexibility as the dragon craned his head up a little more to meet him.

The touch was soft, the gentle press of those scarred lips against his own in a simple kiss. Sanji's heart leapt into his throat as he watched that white eye flutter closed and he pressed back eagerly, enjoying the warmth of the other body so close to his. It was over too soon, Zoro pulling away as he dropped his hand to his bedding and casting that sightless glare off to the side. "Sorry," he started, biting at his own lip and pulling it into his mouth. "I can just smell you."

The blond dropped to his knees, nodding more to himself than the dragon. "It's okay." He shrugged, smirking at the other with a half lidded gaze. "It is your birthday after all...you're entitled."

"You don't understand. It's not my birthday. I wasn't born, I just...am." There was something sorrowful in the dragon's words as he shrugged and picked up a piece of the food with his fingers. He tipped his head forwards in a bow, eye closing in acknowledgment once more. "Tabemono o arigatō. I am honored you went out of your way to make sure I ate."

"I'm not a complete asshole Zoro..." Sanji trailed off, watching with satisfaction as the dragon popped the food into his mouth, pulling his thumb, pointer and middle fingers out of his mouth and chewing eagerly. He nodded his approval and picked up a second piece without even finishing the first. The blond leaned back on his heels, hands fisting against his thighs as he watched. "Have you eaten at all today moss head?"

The dragon shook his head, cheeks puffed, one of the onigiri cradled in his hand. He opened his mouth to take a bite out of that, chewing a few times before swallowing and stuffing more into his shitty face. Sanji was a little shocked to say the least. Zoro's table manners were bad on a good day and he was still outraged about the dragon letting the ravens actually perch on his plate to eat his food, but this... "If you aren't careful you are going to choke you dumb newt..." Frowning, Sanji moved to rest his hand on the dragon's forearm, keeping him from finishing the rice ball in a third large bite.

With cheeks puffed full of food, the scowl really wasn't all that intimidating, but the chef let him go anyways, rubbing his fingers together at the slight tingle that ran up them. Zoro swallowed audibly, a tilt to his head as he forced the food down and turned his gaze to the blond. The dragon seemed to be studying Sanji quietly and he stayed still, not sure if he was passing or failing some silent test of the other. He was about to ask what the gecko was doing when the green haired man took a breath, slow and deep through his nose. "You should go."

"But..." Sanji started, but Zoro shook his head and held up a hand. He wasn't finished it seemed and Sanji snapped his jaw shut to listen.

"This 'birthday' corresponds with something more and I'm sorry I acted the way I did. You really should go while I still have some control over myself and your scent is faint."

"What are you talking about?" Sanji felt his cheeks flush in confusion. There he went talking about smelling him again and he knew damned well it wasn't cigarettes this time! He hadn't had one since before his shower. "I don't smell."

"And I don't have a birthday. Not in the same way you do. I just awoke one day." He shrugged, popping one of the sushi pieces into his mouth and taking a quiet moment to chew. "The ancient peoples began to celebrate this day for each of us. My brothers and myself appearing to the peoples at different times through out the year and over time my day became known as this November the eleventh. But there is a downside to this time of year for me. For all of us."

Sanji snorted. "What you go into heat or something?"

"Something like that." Sanji's words were meant to be a joke but the feral look Zoro gave him and the tone of his answer explained everything that the blond needed to know and even as he jerked backwards, the blood in his body thumped in excitement. "I have been trying very hard to keep my distance from all of you. That is why I have been acting the way I have been, but you...this..." He gestured between the food still in his lap and Sanji. "You're in my den." The growl that ripped from the dragon's throat was anything but hostile. Aggressive, yes, but not in a threatening sort of way. If anything, Zoro sounded eager. An energy surging through the reptile and the chef was inclined to know more. As if Sanji's willingness to venture here was some sort of invitation.

With swift movements the dragon set the container aside and shifted onto his knees, meeting Sanji as he snapped a hand into the thin material of the cook's shirt. "I can smell you...the heat and the want. Normally I can ignore you, I know damned well what you want when you look at me. I may be blind but I'm not stupid. This though...well, this is just teetering on the edge and I'm not sure how long I can hold back." The demanding tone was throaty and husky, an underlying want to each word spat out from behind those sharp teeth.

"Then do it." Sanji challenged back, narrowing his eyes and bringing his face closer to the dragon's. He could hear his blood rushing in his ears, feel the heat radiating through his shirt from the hand that gripped it tightly. He flicked his eyes down, but he couldn't see much past both their heaving chests. "I'm not scared of you."

There was something sinister in the dragon's smile. Maybe it was they way the blue light caught the elongated canines or the way his lips pulled back from them. But whatever it was, the chuckle sent shivers down the blond's spine and he gave a low moan at the lust in Zoro's deep voice. "You should be." Zoro took a deep breath through his nose, humming in approval upon exhale. His eye fell closed once more as he tilted his head forwards and to the side slightly, nudging his nose at Sanji's chin. The blond raised his hands, not entirely sure what to do or what this meant, letting his head fall back when the dragon pressed an open mouthed kiss to his pulse.

A wet heat swirled over his flesh from the other man's tongue and Sanji knew instantly that the sharp points to his skin were the dragon's teeth as they bared down on him, pressure just shy of breaking the surface. The hand in his shirt pulled him closer as the breath caught in his throat and Zoro's free hand found the back of his head, fingers threading into his hair and tugging it back even farther still.

"I can almost hear your blood..." The dragon's lips moved against the chef's skin, muffled slightly as he spoke into it. "A faint rushing sound. And I can feel your heart beat..." Zoro did bite down then and Sanji hissed in pain as he felt teeth graze his skin, one hand snapping up into green hair even as the dragon pulled his head back farther, exposing his throat fully to him. A sudden rush of fear filled him; was the creature's plan to murder him down here? Was Zoro going to rip his throat out and drink his blood?! Granted the chef had never heard of a dragon doing such a thing, but then a lot of what he thought he knew of the supernatural was wrong it seemed. Besides, he had never seen or even heard about what to do with a dragon in...what? Heat? Mating season. What the fuck did you call this anyways?

Another contented hum filled the cerulean tinted light and the moss head pulled back, white eye lidded as he gazed at Sanji's shocked face. The hand in his hair loosened, the fingers relaxed and spread out, running through the strands gently for a moment. "I won't go easy," the Southern Green started, licking at his lips hungrily. "It's been...forever." The last word was half huffed out, the breathless tone of it making a want rise up in the cook.

"Can we even?" Sanji found himself breathing out upon an exhale. How he had wanted this very thing for so, so long and to have Zoro actually reciprocating was beyond his most wildest of dreams. His eyes flicked about the darkened features before settling on the white eye once more.

"It's been an even longer time since I have had a human lover; but I assure you, it is possible." He spoke with a finality that Sanji was very used to and he relaxed slightly in the dragon's hold. He knew Zoro wouldn't hurt him on purpose, but if what the dragon was saying were also true...than this mind set may also override his normal thinking as well. "I can smell your desire Cook." A true statement of fact for sure and Sanji flushed at it. There was no way he could hide things like that from someone whose sense of smell was far beyond anything he knew. "And your fear. But for that, you have nothing to worry about."

"This isn't exactly common territory for me." The chef frowned at the dragon who chuckled lightly at him.

"I will teach you then." Again with that air of experience and it crossed the cook's mind that Zoro was probably extremely knowledgeable in what they were about to do. Having lived as long as the dragon seemed to of; he had to know a thing or two about sex. And sex between different species no less. For a fleeting moment he wanted to ask Zoro about his previous lovers, male and female alike, but didn't as he took a breath.

"Not that." Sanji rolled his eyes as the dragon sat back. This time he willingly let his eyes wander the other man, drinking in the sculpted chest and abs, taking note of the way the blue lights reflected off the starting sheen of sweat and chancing a glance down at the dragon's starting arousal. "You. You'd be the first non human being I've slept with."

"The form I keep is human though," Zoro leaned forwards, closing the gap they made and kissed Sanji once more as if to prove his point to the blond. The sharp canines were gone as each man opened his mouth to meet the other's tongue hungrily. The time for idle chit chat was over it seemed as the dragon forced his tongue into Sanji's mouth, licking at the ridged roof with determination.

Hands moved to the blond's shoulders, thumbs digging into the dips right above his collar bones. Sanji could feel his pulse beat against the dragon's fingers even as he became light headed, needing to pull back and break the kiss before his vision became too dark for his liking. "Zoro..." He whispered quietly, moving the hand in the dragon's hair to trace over his lip and the scar that ran from his chin to his nose. With a snort, the reptile shook his head, picking at the edge of the light fabric of his shirt.

"Take this off." As Sanji leaned back to do as he was asked, Zoro shifted away from him, rising easily to his feet with the container of food in hand. He walked it over to the edge of his nest and set it down on the stone before turning and making his way back to the blond in the center of the bowl. Dropping his shirt from his fingers, the chef looked up as the dragon carded his fingers through his hair once more.

There was something different about Zoro in this light and Sanji didn't just mean the glowing plant life that surrounded them. There was a softness mixed with a wild hunger in the dragon's movements that made Sanji want to do whatever it was he was asked to do. The dragon tilted Sanji's head back once more and the blond's gaze fell to that white eye. The flecks of gold swirled brightly in the dim light and he knew he hadn't just been imagining it the last time. "Were they gold?" The chef asked softly, watching as a saddened look crossed those scarred features.

With a small nod and a swallow, Zoro spoke. "Yes," came the simple reply and there was no need to further comment on it. The dragon sank back to his knees, pulling Sanji to him and kissing him once more. The blond moved with him this time, climbing into his lap and straddling his thighs, tilting the dragon's head back as he deepened the kiss. Both hands came to Zoro's cheeks, burying his fingers in soft green hair as thumbs trailed over high cheek bones.

Warmth met Sanji's back and it took him a second to realize both the dragon's hands were splayed against it, rubbing up and down the muscled length of his spine slowly, mapping out each ridge and valley of bone along his vertebrae and ribs. If what the dragon had said was really true, than who in the hell knows how long it had been since Zoro had felt the heat of another body, the life of a being willing to open their soul to him and grant him the ability to learn their person. A weird swell of pride rose up in him and the chef was glad it was him the dragon had chosen.

Zoro's hands stopped at the base of his neck before sliding back down to the swell of muscle that started his ass and lingered there, thumbs rubbing idle circles as he took a moment to focus on the kiss. Tongues swirled against one another, fighting back and forth between their mouths. As soon as Sanji thought he had the upper hand, the dragon would reverse the action and force the blond to retreat back to the depths of his own mouth. When he did so once more, Sanji threw him off by sucking at the invading muscle, moaning into the action as he rolled his hips against defined abs.

There was a sharp inhale through the dragon's nose and his whole body seemed to melt as he gave a low groan and opened his mouth further, sealing it over Sanji's and just letting him suckle at his tongue. Not that the blond wasn't enjoying his momentary control over the dragon, but it was short lived when strong hands moved to grip at his ass over his pants and lean him backwards till the chef's back was against the rock.

The moss head loomed over him, hair almost glowing in the soft light as he looked unseeing down at him before dipping his head to lick and kiss at pale skin. Sanji arched his chest up into the touch as he felt nips along his collar bone, working their way slowly down to his chest and then his stomach. The elemental brother didn't seem to have a direction in mind as he mapped out random patterns against the blond's abs, moving ever closer to his pants.

When the dragon's breath ghosted over his navel, trailing down the path of fine hair to the hem of his sweats, Sanji's breath hitched and he gave a low moan, raising his hips to meet Zoro's mouth eagerly. He knew he sounded desperate, hell he was desperate at this rate, having wanted to be with Zoro for so long now that this entire thing was still like a dream to him and he half expected to wake up to find out he been doing just that.

A sharp bite to the hair just above his pant line caused him to gasp and Zoro hummed approvingly into his skin as fingers worked under the hem and pulled them down. His hands traveled over Sanji's skin, leaving trails of heat behind that lingered even as he was exposed to the cooler air of the underground cavern. There was a muffled thump as his pants were thrown somewhere and Zoro was between his open legs once more.

Part of him hoped that the dragon was taking him in, drinking up what his body looked like as Sanji found himself doing, memorizing every little detail and filing it away for later use, but he knew it just wasn't true. Zoro couldn't see him, not in great detail at any rate, even if he wanted to, but his hands were a different matter. They mapped out his skin, trailed over muscles and lingered on his scars a little longer than they should have and it didn't take the blond long to realize that Zoro was seeing him the only way the dragon could and it was in a way no other had ever looked at him before.

A low thump in his groin had the blond realizing his was hard, very hard and his brain stuttered for a moment trying to remember when that had happened before giving up and waiting to see what Zoro did next. The green creature had paused, fingers drumming idly against Sanji's lower ribs, head titled to one side in thought. Then with a shrug he moved again, leaning up to nip at the racing pulse in the cook's neck, pressing his own hard length against Sanji.

Both men groaned at the contact, the vibrations of the dragon's almost growl vibrating along Sanji's skin. There was the sharp prick of pointed teeth once more and a pleased groan as Zoro sucked at the spot a moment before pulling away and licking his lips. "I can taste it in your blood..."

"Taste what..." Sanji trailed off as he rolled his head to the side, giving the dragon the room he needed to bite along his throat as he switched between that and lapping at the welling blood under his jaw. It didn't even bother him that the dragon had marked him in a place he couldn't hide, in fact Sanji couldn't wait for someone to comment on it. For him to be able to tell them he had belonged to the great beast, if even for one night.

"The need..." Zoro rolled his hips against Sanji as he spoke, grinding their lengths together. It sent a buzz of want through him and the blond moaned loudly into the dragon's ear as he bucked his hips up to meet him. Both his arms wrapped around Zoro's shoulders, fingers digging into the defined muscles of his back as one leg came to wrap around his hips. "Shit..." The dragon trailed off as the chef rocked into him once more, pressing his body against the dragon where ever he could.

One hand dropped to the bedding for support, Zoro's fingers curling into an old and faded blanket as he rolled his hips to meet each thrust of the chef. His head dropped to Sanji's chest and the cook moved a hand into his hair, gripping the green strands tightly as he gasped and moaned to the open ceiling above them. Even this simple contact was overwhelming to the blond, his mind taking every touch and making it that much more meaningful because it was _Zoro_ who was giving them. It was the object of his long term one sided affection there with him in the most intimate of ways and his body shuddered in delight at the thought.

A sharp pain bloomed on his chest tripping the lust once more and Sanji arched into it as his fingers dug into the dragon's scalp. Again, the dragon had bit him and once more all Sanji could do was take it, his body helpless to fight against it as it seemed to crave the abuse. "Zoro..." he moaned out in response to the low growl that sounded. He blinked when the dragon pulled away, a sudden chill overtaking his entire being as the moss head sat back on his heels.

Tanned hands ran over his skin, stopping at Sanji's thighs, gently massaging the muscles there. Swallowing, Sanji took a deep breath. "What is it? Are you okay...Zoro?"

"Don't call me that." The dragon's tone was a mix of hostility and sadness. A sound that the blond didn't like hearing at all from the beast. Zoro was normally so sure of himself, his almost cocky self awareness getting on his nerves daily, but to hear him sound almost lost...It made Sanji's chest ache and he tried to sit up, but stopped when the other man spoke once more. "Please, Cook; just not tonight. Don't use that name."

"Then what am I supposed to call you?" This time he did sit up and it was his turn to kiss at the dragon's skin, trailing his fingers lightly over muscles of his neck before nipping a trail as well.

Zoro tilted his head back, humming in contentment, almost purring and if it had been anyone else, the chef was sure he would have laughed, but the sound seemed so natural coming from the dragon and he was happy knowing he had brought it from the lizard. Strong hands came to his shoulder blades and simply rested there as Sanji worked his way higher, biting at the dragon's pulse same as he had done and then moved to his ear, licking along the shell and playing with his earrings. "My name..." The Southern Green breathed out cryptically causing the blond to frown against the blind man's ear.

The dragon shifted on his knees slightly and moved his hands down the cook's back, pressing against him chest to chest as he made to return their position to the previous one. Sanji wrapped his arms around broad shoulders and kept up his assault on his lover's neck, even as he felt the worn blankets against his sensitive skin once more. Sliding his hands along pale skin, Zoro made his way to strong thighs, guiding Sanji to spread his legs further. He did so without question, body unwillingly tensing for what he knew was sure to come, but overwhelmed with a want that was quickly consuming him as the chef gave in to it. "That is your name," Sanji replied, needing something to sidetrack his mind so his body would relax.

The dragon shook his head, moving to pull Sanji's hands away from his shoulders so he could travel back along his chest and stomach, leaving behind a trail of searing kisses along his skin. "My real name..." Trailing off, the dragon kissed down the path of hair, stopping just before he reached the base of Sanji's length. The blond could feel the dragon's breath on him, the way the darker hairs stirred with each pant of air. "The name I was given..."

"Roronoa..." Sanji gasped the word out and his reply was a pleased hum with a ghost of a breath along his erection. "But..."

"He can't hear you down here. We are surrounded by his element, the one he chose to give up long ago. The earth doesn't obey him any longer." Zoro seemed so sure of his words and who was Sanji to argue with him? Biting his lip and nodding to himself, the chef rolled his hips up against the dragon's mouth in an attempt to rely his desire to move forwards with this. The other man seemed to get the hint and nuzzled into the hair, breathing deep as he rested his head against the chef's thigh.

The lightest of touches drifted over his flesh and Sanji grit his teeth as he fought to jump away from the sensation. The dragon's finger tips pressed against him, sliding easily over his skin as they sought out the blond's entrance. A hitched gasp that trailed off into a low moan left Sanji as those fingers circled him, causing his back to arch.

Roronoa spoke again, each word vibrating against the blond hair of his groin. His voice was low and husky, his own want clear as he stroked at the chef's skin with every syllable. "Unlike water...The power I hold over my element was long ago mastered. I can make it do things that no one else can. Things you wouldn't believe." Reaching an arm out, the dragon twisted his wrist and splayed his fingers towards his pool.

Sanji threw his head back in a gasp and to watch what the other was doing, simply awed by the grace he managed to hold. To look at Zoro initially, one only saw brute strength. An uncivilized and moody man who kept mostly to himself, but after a time and after learning about the dragon, Sanji had understood why the blind man was the way he was. The chef had come to rely on that far-offness, that willing seclusion and they had built a strange bond from it. "Wha..." he panted out, watching as a globe of water rose from the pool, the clear liquid shining with a blue glow from the lights around them.

"Most things are made up of water, wouldn't you agree?" The dragon gave a half smile when the chef looked back at him, curling his fingers one by one back into a fist and pulling his arm close to him once more. Reaching out his other hand, Zoro cupped it under the ball of water when it came within range. Sitting up slightly and simply holding it in one hand, as if it were a solid thing, a perfectly round sphere of navy tinted glass, the other man took a deep breath and closed his eye.

The chef didn't know what to think or say. Yeah, he had seen the newt use his powers before, but not like this. Normally Zoro simply changed forms or waved a hand to splash water at him from the other side of the pool. This was a concentrated effort, what he was doing was simply amazing and a bizarre feeling rose up in his chest at the fact the dragon was giving him more insight to his true self. Zoro seemed to trust him more than Sanji had given him credit for and that pang of guilt overrode everything else as he cast his eyes to the side. "Yeah..." he answered, voice quiet and low.

Looking back to the dragon as a small breeze whipped at his hair, he wasn't surprised to see those sharp canines again, the feral look on the other's face as he opened his eye. The white glowed brightly, the golden specks swirling about in a complex pattern as the Southern Green raised his hand slightly, the ball of water catching the cook's attention.

The surface stayed smooth, as if it really where a shell made of glass, the water within swirling and bubbling, rolling in on itself and shifting around. Tilting his head to the side, as if he were focused on actually watching the water, Zoro turned his hand slightly and Sanji's jaw dropped open as the liquid seemed to come alive, uncoiling from the ball to slither around the dragon's wrist and up his arm. Taking a deep breath, the blind dragon stretched his arm and neck out, closing his eye to the caress of the water as it moved over him, snaking up his arm and around his neck before it made its way to his other open hand.

If he hadn't known better, hadn't seen where the water had come from, Sanji was pretty sure he would have thought it was alive, watching as it moved like some sort of headless snake, writhing in the lizard's hand before settling back into a ball and falling quiet once more. "The fuck did you do?"

There was a chuckle, but Zoro didn't answer him, instead setting the weird water globe aside and moving back to focus on the blond. "Do you trust me?"

"What? Of course!" Giving the dragon a confused look, Sanji leaned back against the blankets as the other man moved up to kiss him once more. One of those sharp canines caught his lip, raking over it in a harsh kiss. That was new and different, but it was pushed from Sanji's mind as the dragon swept his tongue over the spot and pressed deeper into his mouth. The kiss didn't last long, a fierce tangle of tongues before the drake pulled away.

"Than trust me when I say it will become clear. I can manipulate water how I please remember? And I do not keep a supply of...materials on hand for this sort of thing. Not when I haven't a need to."

"That can be taken a couple different ways stupid lizard." Sanji frowned as the dragon shrugged, moving back a little to look down at him, craning his neck slightly and tilting his chin towards his chest.

His gaze was expectant, even though Sanji knew he couldn't actually see the expression on the blond's face. Sanji for his part was fairly certain he knew what he looked like. Eyes lidded and parted lips swollen from their kiss and the drag of the teeth that the dragon now seemed inclined to keep. Zoro didn't look much better, his own lips marked by his scars and the tips of his canines, giving him a wild look that Sanji simply craved more of. The white of his eye was still shining brightly, mixing perfectly with the surrounding blue. He seemed to ignore the chef's comment entirely, changing the subject back to prior engagements. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." His reply was instant and firm. Sanji had been ready for this for a long, long time. There was no way he was going to back out of this now, not when they had come this far. Zoro gave a small grunt with a nod and bent down again, trailing a quick path of kisses over his skin even as his hand moved to his backside once more.

His touch was warm but firm, not soft like before, yet still gentle, all wrapped together under tanned skin and barely controlled lust. The dragon made a small growling sound and Sanji let his body relax, let his head fall against the softness of the nest and waited. He knew what was coming next and tried not to think about it, not work himself up too fast and not be able to last. This may have been Zoro, but this was also a dragon and he knew the other being's stamina far surpassed his own. The blond's only hopeful saving grace here would be that it had been a lot longer for the other than Sanji when it came to the last time they had had sex. Part of him didn't think that would matter though.

Sanji gasped audibly, the sound hitching and dying in his throat as a hand wrapped around his length, quickly followed by the dragon's tongue swiping across the head. He didn't have time for his brain to even register how smooth the other's tongue actually was; all his concentration going to how hot that mouth was and not bucking into it. Zoro, for all his normal lack of it, was quite perceptive in the cook's reaction, one wide hand splaying out against Sanji's hip and keeping him firmly in place.

The chef reached out, fingers finding the reptile's hair and carding through it, taking in the way the blue light made it glow. It was still damp, but at this point whether it was from the water of the pool or the slight sweat they both had worked up, Sanji wasn't sure. Fingers gripped tighter and his whole body trembled as the dragon slid along his member, taking him all the way into his mouth. It was a sensation the blond was completely used to and yet completely foreign all at the same time...honestly he really needed to let the idea of this being some supernatural being go and just concentrate on the fact it was Zoro here with him.

Opening his mouth to speak, to just make a sound; Sanji's mind drew a blank and his tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth awkwardly. Zoro. 'Zoro' was the name he wanted to moan out, to call as he stared blearily at the blue-green hair his fingers stroked through, but he couldn't. He had been asked not to and for the life of him, Sanji couldn't bring himself to breathe out the drake's true name once more.

A wet heat breached him and Sanji's entire body jerked, his back arching off the floor as his shoulders dug into the blankets and his hips rolled into it. The dragon had the gall to chuckle, sliding back off Sanji with a constant suction till he pulled away entirely and slid his hand along the taunt shaft. "When was the last time you did this?" Leave it to the damned newt to be blunt and ask the stupidest questions at a time like this. As if he wasn't annoying on a normal day.

He worked the single digit in and out of the blond as he spoke, slow constant movements that matched the pace of his hand along the chef's erection. The cook's eyes fell closed as his back settled against the blankets once more, body slipping into how good it felt to be in this place after such a long time. The dragon worked smoothly, not rushing anything and seeming to enjoy this level of contact as he leaned to place open mouthed kisses along Sanji's skin. With each new one, the scrape of his elongated canines was felt, sending shivers of want through the blond, making him groan and continue to roll his hips into the caress.

It wasn't till the other man pulled away to press a second finger with the first that Sanji realized it didn't hurt. Well it was uncomfortable, again after being so long, but not it the way it should have been for them not having any type of lubrication that he was aware of. What in the hell did the dragon do? Did that fucker spit on him?! Ugh...that was all sorts of new levels of gross! For a split second he decided he didn't want to know before it dawned on the chef that the weird ball of water had been set aside. "Zo..." He broke off, biting at his lip and not finishing the name. "What are you..."

The dragon clicked his tongue, twisting his fingers and spreading them deep inside the blond. Sanji threw his hips wider, bucking up into the sensation and moaning wantonly to the open air. His eyes rolled back in his head as his lids fluttered. Roronoa didn't answer him with words though, drawing back to push forwards again, brushing the tips of his fingers over the bundle of nerves deep within him. This time Sanji's breath did hitch, a weird sort of squeak making it past his lips.

He was rewarded, he figured, as the dragon pressed against his entrance with a third finger, mouth moving from the random kissing to once again engulf the head of his cock in that warm heat. Everything about the dragon was warm, from the fingers that worked to stretch Sanji to his mouth and tongue that sucked at his arousal. The blond's whole body seemed to heat up, the sensation running through him and making him relax even more.

There was no questioning that this was what he wanted. The intense longing feeling drifting away to be replaced by a sated contentedness. A coolness sunk into his length as the dragon pulled off him once more, the fingers of his hand fanning and stretching as Zoro's head rested against Sanji's abs. "Good..." he trailed off, voice low as if the dragon was talking more to himself than to the blond chef. Shaking his head, Zoro tried to dislodge the hand in his hair, but Sanji wasn't having any of it, gripping the short strands tighter as his body fought to decide what to do: buck into his lover's hand and mouth or thrust against the fingers that drove deep inside him. He felt so good, a constant high of pleasure humming through his veins and they hadn't even actually had sex yet.

As suddenly as it started, the dragon's hand was gone, leaving him feeling empty and Sanji rolled his head to the side with a needy moan as he tried to figure out what it was Zoro was doing. The dragon was looking at him he supposed, his white eye wide and glowing brighter than before. The green haired man took a deep breath before moving to kiss Sanji, but he stopped short, mouth hovering a mere breaths width away from the chef. The blond could feel the other's lips brush over his own when the dragon spoke. "You really aren't afraid." It was a statement and not a question, even as he tilted his head to make it appear as if Zoro was asking one.

"No..." Sanji scrunched his face into confusion, drawing the word out a little longer than it needed to be. "Should I be? You said I had nothing to fear and I trust you, even if you are a mossy brute." He gave a small chuckle when the dragon huffed at the insult, but stopped when the other shook his head.

"Guess time is just changing once more." He was quiet a moment and when Zoro did kiss him again, it was a gentle motion. A simple press of his lips to the cook's before he pulled away. "Thank you."

"For?" The question was a mere whisper, Sanji not feeling a need to speak loudly when the creature of his affection was still close enough that he could feel the breath on his cheeks. Again the Southern Green didn't answer him though, instead moving between his legs once more. The fingers of one hand drew a lazy path up one leg and thigh, tracing the line of his hip bone as Sanji watched through lidded eyes at what the dragon was doing.

Sure enough he turned to that weird water globe, but before Sanji could ask what he was doing with it, Zoro explained it away in a simple tone: "I told you to trust me. Don't ask questions you truly do not want the answer to. This will suffice for what we are doing."

"Will it kill me?" The chef couldn't help but ask as he watched with great interest as the dragon ran a hand along his own length, biting back a low groan at the sensations it must have caused him. He didn't seem all that interested in a lot of foreplay, which was too bad, but given this night...Sanji was already wondering if he could get the water newt to do this again sometime. Maybe he would even be able to show Zoro a thing or two.

"The only thing here that can kill you is me." Roronoa stated in a calm and level tone, as if the two of them weren't about to engage in sex. Taking a deep breath and letting his eye close, the dragon pulled Sanji towards him by his hips, moving one hand to grasp at his own length and lining the two of them up.

"Just do it. I can take it." Rolling his hips against the dragon, Sanji gave a low groan at the small amount of pressure the action caused. He wanted this man, this dragon so badly right now. He just wanted to be filled, to have the empty feeling fall away as he felt Zoro from within. But the stubborn bastard was stalling once more. _Zoro... _He wanted to moan out, doing so in his head once more as he half hummed a moan and pressed against the dragon once more.

The chef could feel the tip of the other's cock against him, wanted so much more than what he was getting and was about to sit up, to test his limits and push the dragon to the floor of his own bed and take matters into his own hands when he felt the pressure build and the dragon pressed into him smoothly. The head of his length pushed through that first ring of muscle and the cook threw his head back with a loud groan. "Fuck; yes!" He breathed out, whining at the slow pace of the dragon. Wanting Zoro to move faster, needing to feel him buried inside him and craving the lust high Sanji knew he was getting close to.

A primal growl ripped through Zoro as he hit home and Sanji was pretty sure he heard something very animalistic in the sound. Fingers dug almost painfully into his hips and the dragon's whole body shook slightly as Zoro seemed to be trying desperately to control himself. The blond moaned loudly, the feeling of being so completely filled by the object of his obsession taking over and he rolled his back and hips against the other man, loving the small hiss that came from the drake as he no doubt tried to remain still as the chef adjusted to his arousal instead of Zoro's fingers. Not that Sanji was making that an easy task as he squirmed in an attempt to make the other move already! The bit of discomfort would go away and he just wanted to feel the other worldly creature _move._

Nails dragged over his skin and Sanji was pretty sure they were sharper than they had been before, but the thought left him, fleeing to the depths of his mind as the dragon leaned forwards, finally meeting the chef's movements with a small roll of his own hips. One hand slid up the cook's leg and side as Sanji wrapped the appendage around tanned hips, the slight drag of those nails sending a shuddering chill through his body. It wasn't unpleasant, especially when the beast leaned to kiss him, mouths crashing against one another in a sloppy and distracting mess of teeth and tongue, but the blond's mind still took note. Zoro didn't seem to have nails of that extent just moments before. Hands fisted into that green hair once more, gripping tightly in an unspoken plea to not leave, to never stop kissing him and Sanji be damned if he wasn't falling for this green blind bastard all over again. His leg gripped tighter, pulling Zoro deeper into him if at all possible at this point and the Southern Green responded by flexing his grip where his hands rested just slightly.

His eyes closed and a moan was swallowed up by the drake as he pulled back from Sanji, leaving him shaking as he tried to not thrust down. A whimper left the cook, answered by a groan from the dragon and there was a single second of calm between them before the broader man bit at the chef's lip and snapped tanned hips forwards harshly. Back arcing, Sanji broke the kiss and cried out in bliss, rolling his head to the side and closing his eyes as Zoro moved to suck at the bite mark on his neck from earlier. A new sharp pain welled from the spot but it simply caused the chef to groan louder, arms dropping to the blankets. Hands splayed, he used those as leverage to arch his body against the dragon, pressing against him wherever he could.

And Zoro was warm, so warm to the touch and the chef knew that when this was over, if the beast allowed, he would willingly fall asleep cuddled against this warmth and be content in that single moment. The dragon's teeth punctured his neck again, a satisfied groan vibrating along his pulse as sharp nails bit into his hip and side. It pulled Sanji from his daydream and brought his focus back to what was going on here, just exactly what he was doing.

He was engaged in sex, yes that much the blond knew, mentally rolling his eyes even as another sound left him, the two beginning to fall into a hard and fast pace. But, this wasn't normal, not in the slightest and he honestly had no idea what Zoro was going to do, what he was capable of and that thought sent a tingle of want zinging down his spine. With all his normal animal tendencies...what was he going to do while they were coupled like this?

Roronoa ripped away from his neck, lapping at the second set of marks, half nuzzling into the underside of Sanji's jaw as he panted loudly. Both of their chests heaved with their labored breathing and for a second Zoro seemed content to simply lay across him, to let their bodies instincts take over, but then he pushed back, arms bracing his body above Sanji. There was something strange and wonderful in seeing the dragon like this. His cheeks flushed with the slightest hint of a blush that made it through his tan, eye closed as his head tipped back ever so slightly, his senses giving in to the waves of ecstasy he must have been feeling.

The fangs, Sanji would call them now, the image of the man in his natural form flashing before him and those long front teeth hooking down as they peeked from under his upper jaw, bit harshly into Zoro's lower lip. Lips parting once more as he gave short labored breaths, Sanji could see the indents from the canines in the swollen flesh of his lip. And he wanted to touch, to run his fingers over them and trace the scars that bit through them. Snaking one hand up the dragon's arm, feeling the muscles tense as they held the man's weight, the chef pressed his thumb to the center of his lip, right where the scar trailed through, letting his fingers ghost over the ones that ran over Zoro's cheek.

The action startled the dragon and the blind drake snapped his eye open as he almost glared down at Sanji. The breath caught in both their throats, Zoro's from the revered attention to his marks and the cook at his lover's eye. The white orb was glowing, brighter than it had been, the flecks of gold so bright it made the dragon's skin glow as well. With a surprising gentleness, he nipped at Sanji's thumb and the cook moved to cup at Zoro's cheek, forgetting how to breathe as he watched the white glow take on a golden hue from the swirling flecks within.

They stopped moving, both of them seemingly caught up in the actions of the other and the dragon's eye fell half closed as he tilted his head into the cook's palm, making the glow of his eye brighter. It crossed his mind that even the normally solitary beast must get lonely and he was beyond pleased it was him that could give the lizard that comfort and reprieve he was after. "San...ji..." The drake choked out, his voice sounding rather weak as he moved again, a long slow roll of his hips against the blond.

Dropping his hand to his chest, Sanji moaned loudly, eyes closing, the combination of the dragon moving once more and the way his actual name sounded in that voice stirring his lust to a whole new height. Hell he wasn't even sure if Zoro _knew_ what his name was, always calling him 'cook' or some other stupid thing. But he did and that seemed to do more for him than anything else the two had done so far.

Eyes still closed, Sanji concentrated on the feel of the other man. The way their bodies rolled against one another, fell flush here and feather light touches there. The even and steady pace the water dragon fell back into and the sounds that he let escape him. The small groans and moans that mingled with the chef's as they both drove one another towards that edge.

Roronoa reached out, fingers ghosting up Sanji's chest, running over his collarbone and neck to trail over his cheek. The chef tilted into it, turning his head and baring his neck to the other as a fulfillment washed through him. They could stop right now, break away and pretend that this never happened and Sanji found that he was...okay with it. That as long as Zoro was pleased; the blond didn't mind. "Look at me. Talk to me Sanji. I can't..." Something broke in the strong tone and the chef opened his eyes wide to see if he could pin point a reason.

Scales flashed in the blue light taking the cook's breath away and Zoro breathed out a 'what?' in response. For a being normally so strong, the dragon sounded lost, as if something was missing, it only taking him a moment to realize that this was most likely the first time he had been intimate since he lost his sight. "You're gorgeous." The words just slipped out, hand shaking slightly as he pressed his fingertips to the track of scales that had appeared along Zoro's neck.

The diamond shaped plates were smooth, seamlessly placed against one another in a long thin trail that started under the dragon's ear, worked along his neck and to his collarbone where it broke apart, dotting his left pectoral in smaller groups. Hues of blue and green splashed over them, making them shine in millions of different shades, glistening from the sheen of sweat that covered the older man. A hitched breath caught in Zoro's throat and he paused again, snapping a hand over Sanji's and wrapping his fingers around the blond's pulling them away from the blemishes to that perfectly tanned skin.

"Don't..." The drake trailed off as Sanji twisted his wrist, twining their fingers together and he raised his other hand to move over the scales once more. They felt hard, harder than stone yet they flexed as the dragon moved, showing no signs of discomfort to Zoro as he turned his head to the side, pursing his lips as the scars over his eye and cheek became visible. There was a splash of scales on his cheek as well, a white marring line through the center of the blue-green beauty. Even as he watched, more appeared, seeming to blossom from nowhere, blooming and layering next to one another in perfect harmony over the bone arch of his brow, trailing into smaller darker scales as they ended at the bridge of his nose.

"How are you..." Scrunching his face, Sanji tightened his grip on the hand twined with Zoro's, running his pointer finger along the newest line of scales. Those felt wet and almost soft, more pliable than the ones that ran down his throat. Moving his fingers up to run through the teal hair, he stopped when his fingers hit something.

With a growl, the dragon shook his head, jarring Sanji's hand away from him and flicked his tail. Wait...what? The long graceful appendage arced behind the drake, snapping and jerking in annoyance, rainbowing through blues and greens as the green tuft of hair at the end swayed easily. That took a second to register as their quiet surreal moment ended and Zoro pushed him back, palms barring down on his shoulders as he moved again with a renewed vigor. Sharp nails dug into the back of his shoulder blade as the dragon leaned over him, moving one hand to paw at his thigh and raise his hip, slamming into him harshly. Sanji couldn't breathe, couldn't think as his blurred vision tried to focus on a single point, any point, hands scrabbling at the bedding under him in an attempt to gain a hand hold and some sort of leverage.

A feral urge seemed to strike the Southern Green and he was giving in to it, letting his more primal instincts take over and guide him through this affair. He leaned forwards to bite at Sanji's mouth, growling into a bruising kiss instead as the blond turned his head to meet him. The chef groaned into it, once more rolling his entire body up against the drake, feeling the muscles of the other man flex above him. Taking in the scrap of the scales on his skin and the brush of the tail against his side, Sanji lost himself once more as he gave in to his feelings of lust and arousal. "Shit..." The blond groaned out, gasping and jerking into a half sitting position when the dragon shifted and slammed into his prostate.

Zoro went with it, wrapping an arm around Sanji's back and shifting to sit on his ass, pulling the blond into his lap and encouraging him to move. Sanji wasted no time, bringing his forearms to the blind man's shoulders and rocking up in his lap, feeling the way his own length throbbed with want with each rise and fall onto the dragon's cock. A shudder ran through him as the end of Zoro's tail brushed up his spine, causing the chef to arc into it, pressing his chest tighter to the drake's. He cast a glance down, seeing the scales curl around his knees, the very end of his tail flicking almost in time to the grueling pace he was setting.

This changed the angle immensely and Sanji was finding he was able to pivot his hips just right, leaning over Roronoa's shoulder as he panted to the darkness. Claws raked down his back, breaking skin in places and the chef cried out, throwing his head back. All this got him was a bite to his throat and a possessive growl vibrating against the bruised and beaten flesh along his neck. The breath caught in his throat as Zoro bit down harder than he had before, those sharp teeth sinking into his neck. Sanji could feel them dig deep, catch hold and he stilled, worried that the dragon might rip away and actually take a chunk of his flesh with him.

Wide swipes with his broad tongue cleaned up the blood, the dragon's hips jerking to keep even the smallest of motions going. Shakily the blond brought a hand back into Zoro's hair, tugging at the strands and running through the damp mess. He was only slightly shocked when his fingers traveled along an obsidian horn bud, having figured that was a possibility when he brushed over the same spot earlier. "Zoro..." he choked out, trying to keep his neck and chest still. His hips moved beyond his control at this point, between his own want and the blind dragon moving on his own.

Another growl left the man as the canines came away, Sanji actually able to feel them leaving the muscle in his neck and blood welled from the marks, trailing down his neck and shoulder freely. Zoro lapped at it, hands moving to grasp at thin hips, nails digging in there once more, forcibly moving the blond into a rhythm he set. A series of light nips under his chin had the chef melting back into his lover's embrace, the hand in the green hair tightening and his thumb hooking around the horn there.

"Let go." It was a command as the green drake shook his head, tail thumping angrily on the floor of the nest. And Sanji did, hand sliding down his neck and over his back, finding more patches of scales as he went, rubbing over them with varying interest. Hand coming to rest at the spot where the dragon's tail started, feeling the muscles rippling under the beast's skin; he tried to focus on moving once more, leaning away from Zoro slightly and twisting his body to lean his weight back on his other arm as he ground against the dragon. Sanji pulled himself closer by his hand on the beast's lower back, spreading his legs wider as he tried to get as close to the other as their bodies and position would allow.

Strong hands slid up his back harshly, pulling Sanji closer to him, forcing him to arch his back impossibly far as he leaned against those hands. The dragon kissed at his chest and abs, bending forwards to mark his skin with more small bites as well. Sharp teeth dragged over his muscles causing the blond to throw his head back, letting his body sag into the hold of the drake, loud moans falling from his mouth. A low groan sounded against his skin and the chef had presence of mind to lift his head, catching the narrowed slit of white and gold from the dragon's eye.

Heat overwhelmed him, the concentrated and furrowed look on the great beast's features making Sanji realize just how close he really was. It snuck up on him, grasped at him and willed him to leap off that edge, to drown in his euphoric high. A low groan left him as he raised his arm, grasping at a tanned shoulder. The dragon rolled it slightly, but Sanji only held on tighter, feeling the scales under his fingers shift as the muscles moved. "I..." The word caught in his throat as the blond dropped his head to the drake's shoulder, whole body shaking with his need.

Another growl ripped through the air, edging more towards a low roar and Sanji's world spun. The air was knocked from his lungs as his chest hit the stone, blankets or no, it still hurt to be bodily flung around by the impressive strength of the lizard. Wearily he raised himself up onto his knees and one elbow, panting as he rested the crown of his head against his bent arm. He gave a low groan, body drained from the short bout of aggressive abuse.

Zoro's weight came crashing into him, knocking him back in the mess of torn fabric and moss, the dragon's breath hot in his ear and his taunt slicked length pressing against him. The blind drake groaned, low and full of want as he entered the chef once more, bucking his hips flush against Sanji's ass with ease.

Blood trailed down Sanji's neck to his chin and dropped off the lobe of his ear to his arm, the wound to his neck still bleeding freely and he groaned at the feeling of the hot liquid. Rich red splotches dotted his arm as he pushed back against the dragon, listening with closed eyes to the deep intake of breath through Zoro's nose as hands slid over his shoulders and down his back to once again grip at his hips. Roronoa held him up, kept his back arched and his chest in the cloth, dropping his head to the middle of the chef's back.

Those horn buds dug into the flesh on either side of the blond's spine as the green tail curled around his knees, the end still thumping rhythmically to the time of the dragon's harsh thrusts. The fluff on the end brushed against Sanji's member with each passing, sending weird waves of arousal through him and he tried to shift his hips back, meeting the demanding pace of the dragon wearily. "I...I can't..." Sanji's whole body shook now, the deep pooling heat in his gut ready to break its walls. He could feel his release right there and he wanted desperately to hold on a little longer.

He snaked a hand back, batting at the end of the dragon's tail, causing a small yelp of surprise from the great beast and grasped at his own cock. Zoro's hand came over his, fingers wrapping around his hand and Sanji managed to open his eyes, staring at the contrast of their skin tones. Brilliant emerald scales covered most of the back of his hand now, trailing over his wrist and up his arm as well. Sanji wondered briefly how far Zoro would go into his true form and how much more he could really take. The thick and muscled tail curled around his knees once again, gripping strongly as it stilled. Scales ripped at his skin, dragged along it, leaving scratches in their wake. A deep feral moan left the dragon as he slammed into the chef once more, the grip on his length becoming maddeningly tight.

Sanji gasped out in pain, snapping his lids shut as tears came to his eyes. The hand that remained on his hip, pulled him back flush against the dragon, nails biting into the flesh there as well. His head twisted against the chef's spine as a groan left him and his hips snapped against the blond once more. "Shit!" The chef yelled, the tight tugs to his cock overwhelming him. The dams broke and he gave a guttural groan as his hips jerked and his member twitched. "Zoro..." He moaned out, the first waves of his release wrecking into him. The drake growled once more, a low primal sound as he thrust harshly into the blond a few more times before he stilled as well. An overwhelming heat filled the chef, the dragon's release giving Sanji a strange yet satisfying feeling of warmth as he came deep within him. Sanji moaned at the sensations, letting everything else fade away as his focus narrowed to just the two of them in this moment of bliss.

A long low moan vibrated against the cook's back, fingers digging into his body hard enough to bruise and that long tail whipped back and forth over them both as the dragon bit at Sanji's spine. "Fuck...nngghh...Ro-ronoa!" Sanji's voice echoed about the cavern as he pushed back against the drake, eyes still shut tightly as they now both rode out their orgasms. Their hands lost the rhythm to the blond's cock, but he didn't care, body jerking randomly as he let control of his actions be taken from him. Zoro hissed above him, hips still flush against the cook's ass, small bucking motions meeting Sanji's wild movements.

They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs and Sanji hummed weakly as with the last of his energy he arced against the weight that lay on top of him. The Southern Green's breath stirred his hair as the other man panted, his racing heart thundering in his chest. The chef swallowed thickly, not realizing how dry his mouth really felt until now, his voice hoarse as he tried to clear his throat. A calm stole over him as he let his body calm down and he attempted to regain awareness of his surroundings.

That far off water drop sound echoed around them, the glow of the blue vegetation making him blink at weird shadows that weren't really there. Zoro shifted over him, dragging his hands through the knot of blankets with a groan, dropping onto his side next to Sanji. The blind man curled slightly on himself as the chef shuddered from the sudden lack of warmth. The beast took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as if some calm stole over him once more.

The blond startled when the drake touched him, a soft gentle caress against his neck as his fingers ghosted over the wound he had caused. The same hand traveled down to the chef's waist, tugging him close and one of the newer blankets was thrown over them both without a single word spoken. Not that he had anything to say, completely at a loss for words as Roronoa nuzzled into the back of his shoulder and inhaled deeply, sighing contently as he seemed to settle in. "Zoro..." The younger man started, twisting his head, but stopping when a bolt of pain ran up his neck from the fresh bites. He wasn't entirely sure how to continue, instead shifting and rolling to face the blind creature.

It came as a shock to see him looking completely human again, hair mused and eye closed as his breathing evened out. A slight furrow to his eyebrows was the chef's only hint the other man was even awake and listening. "Should I...I should..."

He stopped talking when the dragon opened his eye, the white back to its normal look, hinted with the blue glow from above. The gold was barely visible and Sanji was only aware of its presence because he knew it was there, not because he could see it. A hand brushed over his cheek bone before working up into his hair. "Sleep Sanji. Tomorrow is the time to sort through everything." The chef nodded with a yawn, closing his eyes and drifting off to the feel of tanned fingers running through his hair.


	2. Malachite

Sanji inhaled deeply, waking slowly. He was warm, so very warm and didn't want to open his eyes just yet. There was a small hum to his whole body and he was content to just lie there and bask in it. A small smile flitted across his lips as he exhaled through his nose, snuggling deeper into the pillow and relaxing a bit more. This was perfect, it really was. Shifting ever so slightly, moving his fingers to pull the bunched up pillow closer, there was a sharp inhale and the arm around his waist tugged him closer.

_What the fuck?!_

Then everything came flooding back, the blond's eyes snapping open. The glowing moss met his wide eyed gaze and the heady smell of earth filled his nose. Turning his head slightly, he caught the tuft of azure hair and Sanji groaned loudly, rolling his head on his arm. Even though he knew _now_ that there was no way in hell Zoro was going to hurt him, he was in the nest of the shitty water newt and holy fuck they slept together!

He tried to sit up, a grunt and Zoro's strength overpowering him quickly and Sanji fell back against the blankets and pillows of the dragon's bowl bed with an 'oof.' The drake picked his head up, peering at Sanji with a narrow blinded eye and grunting again as he shifted onto his stomach fully.

Pain flooded the chef's body and Sanji groaned in pain at the stiffness in his limbs, the ache all along his back and as he turned his head, he could feel dried blood flake off his skin. He brought his hand up, running his fingers carefully over the bite mark, hissing in pain at the stinging of the open wounds and pulled his fingers away with fresh blood.

Oh yeah, he had been the dragon's chew toy for a moment last night as well, hadn't he?

Zoro took a deep breath, raising himself up on his arms now and letting the blanket slide off his body carelessly. A shudder ran through Sanji as the colder air hit him before the warmth was trapped under the thin material once more. Fucking salamander was just as fucking majestic now in a half asleep daze as he ever was, padding his naked ass over to his pool and not even reacting as he walked into the deep cold water.

But what an ass though.

Sanji wrinkled his nose at his thought, deciding that if Zoro wanted to try and drown in his pool because of last night he might as well lie here and access his body. Neck was bleeding a little and the bruise was sure to be huge! One didn't get bitten and walk away without some sort of mark. Craning his neck back and peering at his chest as he lifted the blankets slightly, really not sure what he was searching for, Sanji sighed.

His entire back was killing him now. Between the actual rough sex, which was _completely_ worth it by the way, the dragon's horns and the bites, the blond was pretty sure his back was just one large bruise. And he was gross. He was sticky with blood, spit and who the hell knew what else...okay, he knew what else, but he _really _didn't want to think about that.

Sex with Zoro had been...fulfilling though. Sanji didn't feel any of the regret he had in the past about one night stands or anything. And if he really wanted to be brutally honest with himself, he had actually enjoyed being witness to a side of the blind dragon few, if any alive now, had gotten to see.

How was he going to react though? Seeing Zoro wake from a nap was one thing, but after last night and him still potentially being in his mind set of mating, how would he be.

_Oh shit!_

Did this mean he and Zoro were a thing now? Was the dragon gonna think they are a mated pair or something and lay claim to him? A shiver ran through Sanji as the thought that the bite to his neck was _just that,_ a way for others to know that the blond belonged to the great beast, but pushed it from thought as he heard water splash behind him.

Tipping his head back, he watched the other man walk from his pool, not caring anymore if he was caught staring. Pulling his lip into his mouth, feeling the split from most likely one of those canines there as well, the chef watched as water trailed over tanned skin and the Southern Green made his way back towards him. His hands came up, wiping away stray drops of water and running a hand through his green hair, circling around to where he had gotten up, falling to his knees and laying back down on his side facing Sanji. Zoro gave a sniffle, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head to dislodge a drop of water before turning his attention to the blond.

That white eye looked blue in the dim light of his weird glowing moss, all hints of the gold gone. His scars looked deep, almost black lines from the shadows cast above and he smacked a hand against his cheek, a teeth baring grin tugging at his mouth. "You slept well."

It wasn't a question, but a statement and Sanji suddenly hated how perceptive the dragon actually was. He acted like a fool most of the time, but he was far from stupid, Sanji knew, and he looked forwards to times when the dragon was willing to show it. Swallowing and debating on whether he should argue with the ancient creature or not, the chef nodded slightly. "Yes."

"Are you hurt?" Reaching his free hand out, Zoro fingered the edge of the blanket where it rested at Sanji's shoulder. He seemed like he wanted to move farther, have some sort of contact, but that it also depended greatly on what Sanji himself wanted. Why was he being so comforting? This was such a change, such a shift from what he had seen of Zoro, it made the blond wonder if this was the side that the others spoke of. The side he never got to see and the reason they all said he was nothing more than a big soft-hearted gecko.

"No." He couldn't seem to form more than one word sentences at the moment and Sanji furrowed his brow at his own irritation. Fingers gripping into the blankets, he rolled slightly so he could face the dragon better. Zoro was gazing back at him, or well his face was at least turned towards his own, that white eye wide and fully awake now. The other man's lips were slightly parted and Sanji watched in wonderment as his tongue darted out to lick at them absently. "Last night," he started, noticing the way the dragon perked up slightly at his words.

Sanji wouldn't say Zoro grew tense because he didn't but his attention was fully on whatever it was that the chef had to say and the hand that hovered at his shoulder drew back slightly. "Don't change the subject." The dragon said flatly, the corners of his mouth tugging down in a frown.

"I'm not..." Sanji's voice edged with confusion and he stilled as Zoro moved again, fingers reaching out to trace around his bite from the night before. His breath caught in his throat at the pain that centered there once more as his attention and brain focused in on that single point.

"You're trying. You are hurt."

"It's nothing." Voice sounding much smaller than he wanted, Sanji went to sit up, wincing in pain but managing to do so. His back was so stiff and as he moved even just that amount, he could feel the pull and ache of deep bruising along his spine. The chef actually wondered if he didn't still have horn impressions in his skin.

Zoro sat up, shifting as he crossed one leg under the other and grabbed Sanji around the waist, easily pulling him back and flush against the dragon's chest. The heat that emanated from him made Sanji instantly relax and he sighed as he tipped his head back to rest against Zoro's shoulder, not even realizing what he was doing.

When the dragon's mouth met his skin, he froze though, sensations from the night before still fresh in his mind. Sanji's body then kicked into gear, instinct taking over and he grabbed at Zoro's knee, trying to use the dragon's own body as leverage as he tried to get away. The drake's grip tightened, his lips brushing against the back of the blond's neck as he spoke.

This time though, this time, the words were calm and gentle; soothing and once more Sanji felt his body relax into the hold, eyes closing as he listened to that deep rumble of a voice speak to him. "Relax; I can smell the blood. Last night would have been...intense on your body. You're hurt; it's to be expected."

The blind dragon chose his words carefully, his voice vibrating against Sanji's spine. His embrace eased its hold, but didn't let go completely and that suited the chef just fine. He was really warm anyways. "I apologize." The dragon's tone was still low and Sanji gave in to the feeling, relaxing back against his strong chest once more.

"What's this mean?" Twisting his head ever so slightly, Sanji tried to look back at Zoro, but the dragon stopped him with a broad swipe of his tongue over the puncture marks from his canines. The chef yelped in pain and did pull away this time, twisting to face the dragon and a hand snapping to his wound. "The fuck did you do that for you blind bastard?!"

One of the dragon's arms was still in the air and Zoro frowned, not quite sure how to react to Sanji's sudden outburst. Lowering his hand to his lap, he simply snorted in irritation. "I was trying to help Cook."

"By licking me?! Ugh! I probably have dragon spit in there now. It's gonna get infected or something!"

"Hey!" Zoro snapped rising quickly to his feet and moving to grasp at Sanji's upper arm, easily hauling him to his own feet. "Then bathe." Keeping the grip on his arm, the drake stalked towards his pool, pausing at the edge of it where he let go. Then he waded in, not even bothering to look back at Sanji.

Well shit. Now that he was standing, his legs hurt now too, the dull ache in them along with the shiver his body was beginning, only really wanting to make him go curl back up in that blanket. Or find his pants. Yeah, pants would be good. "Get in here." Zoro growled and Sanji really wasn't sure he wanted to disobey that tone of voice.

He snorted a laugh anyways, a mocking sound as he watched the dragon paddle about his stupid underground pond. "You have got to be kidding me. I know how cold your pool is."

"That has to stay cold because of the marimo. Get in here." The Southern Green was edging on the tone he normally held with Sanji, something akin to sarcasm, mixed with annoyance and edged with 'why me?'

Rolling his eyes, the blond took a tentative step forwards, mentally preparing himself for the cold bite on his toes. He was pleasantly surprised when the smallest of lapping waves, from the other man no doubt, washed over his toes and was warm. He picked his head back up, grin bright across his face. "It's warm!"

"Yes." Zoro lowered himself into the water, blowing bubbles from his nose as he watched Sanji wade in, sinking to his knees with a pleased hum. "I keep this one tepid, helps keep the moss damp."

"_You_ keep it heated?" Sanji asked and already he could feel his back muscles relaxing, the tension in them melting away. It wasn't overly hot, but the chef knew he could easily get lost in here, just sitting and enjoying the way the warm water soaked into his weary muscles. "How?"

The dragon clicked his tongue and Sanji could imagine him rolling his eye as he moved to him once more, hands coming up to rest on the blond's shoulders. Sanji rolled his head to the side and moved his own hand to brush over the bite. "Don't lick me again."

The responding grunt sounded like the drake had wanted to say something but stopped, instead pouring water over the spot and rubbing lightly at it with his thumb. "Zoro," Sanji started, the question of how the blind dragon even could find his mark never even crossing his mind. The chef had seen him do enough strange things to know that he could easily find his own bite mark on someone else's skin.

He didn't speak, merely humming a response as he moved from the bite to trail across his shoulders and down his back, thumbs working in small circles to release more of the tension and ease some of the pain. "Last night; you...I mean..."

"Overwhelming? As I said, it had been a long time, but I know it can be a lot for a human to take. I warned you."

"I know." Jerking his head in a small nod, Sanji dropped his arm into the water, letting his eyes wander the rest of the den. There really wasn't much to it beyond the pool, the nest and the moss, but was still interesting to see how the dragon spent much of his time. "That's not what I was referring to."

"Hm? Then what?" Zoro let him go, moving away and ducking under the water of the pool. Sanji rolled his eyes and huffed. Leave it to the jerk to ask a question then not even care that you have to answer. It occurred to the blond though that he was willingly still letting Zoro lead him, his lingering near him this morning unexplainable.

The green hair resurfaced and the drake shook his head, staying in the deeper part of the pool, but turning to face him. "You asked me to call you Roronoa."

"That's my name after all." The dragon furrowed his brows in confusion and the scars across his eye pulled and tightened at the action. "Was that a problem for you?"

"No!" Realizing he probably answered way too quickly, Sanji sucked in a breath, running a hand through his hair and realizing he would need to actually take a shower later and wash it. This was nice and may have worked for the dragon, but the chef was a firm believer in soap and there was none here that he could see. "I liked it. That name is...is much more fitting."

"I'm surprised you haven't run off yet." He gave the blond a grin and was back to being his jerk of a self, all the former coddling behaviors gone. He splashed water at Sanji playfully, chuckling lowly to himself in obvious amusement. "There was this one time..."

"If you are referring to the scales and the tail...yeah it was weird okay? The scales I could get used to, but I don't know about the tail."

"Used to?" Zoro's tone was hard to read and Sanji snapped his jaw shut. Crap! He was making assumptions about this entire thing and even though the newt was making nice, that didn't mean they were in a relationship and here he went just assuming they were. Or well that they would at least sleep together again. "You weren't afraid?"

"I told you last night I'm not afraid of you." It was Sanji's turn to scoff at the dragon.

That damned lizard chuckled once more, almost gliding through the water and into Sanji's space again. His face was close and his eye was bright, a faint glow and small swirls of gold catching Sanji's attention. He grinned, baring his teeth in a feral smirk. "And I told you; you should be."

"What are you going to do? Huh?" Splashing water at him, the chef pushed away with a foot, half floating as the dragon sputtered and wiped water from his face.

"I'm hungry."

"Now who's changing the subject."Huffing, Sanji regained his footing and began wading towards the edge of the pool. He really should get to his day though. Being down here was messing with his sense of time, but judging how his internal clock was, he was pretty sure it was time to get moving and stop lounging about in the dragon's private hot tub. "Come on, I will make breakfast. Where'd you throw my pants?"

"I don't know." Zoro snorted behind him, but from the splashing, was following the blond. "I had...other things on my mind last night." Sanji didn't bother even reacting, instead his whole body giving a shudder as the coolness of the air hit his skin. The water newt came up behind him, pressing his chest to Sanji's back and wrapping his arms around his waist. "You are taking this well."

"I don't even know what...this, is." The blond waved a hand between them or well tried to, it was kind of hard when you had a dragon clinging to you. He wasn't sure if he actually liked it or not. Oh hell, who was he trying to fool, the blond's stomach was doing flips and he was enjoying every fucking second of it. Zoro was returning his affections beyond what was obviously just a yearly hormonal imbalance and Sanji was overjoyed at the entire thing. He hadn't come down here last night with the intent of doing anything other than giving him dinner, so to be pulled into the whirlwind of last night and still living in that daze this morning...there were a ton of questions he needed to work through, even if his brain was screaming in some sort of victory.

"It can be whatever you want; I don't mind." And he pulled away, moving to one of the darker corners of the den. Sanji frowned as he watched the dragon pad quietly across to a trunk he hadn't even seen and open it, pulling out a pair of his typical black pants and a long green sash instead of the red one he had worn before. "I understand how humans commit themselves. I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"You are being quite perceptive and considerate this morning." Frowning Sanji located his pants and snatched them off the floor, pulling them on with a huff. "It's weirding me out."

Zoro turned, cocking his head to the side like a damned dog, tying the green fabric in a tight knot at his hip. "I figured with the change in our relationship..." Sanji rolled his eyes as the dragon trailed off with a shrug. "I can continue to treat you as I have been if it makes you more comfortable."

"Well...I'm just not used to you being nice to me is all."

"Cook," Zoro moved towards him and past him headed for the mouth of the cave, pausing when the blond didn't follow. "Make breakfast. Think it over. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not allowed to leave remember?"

"You and Master Mihawk have the most fucked up relationship I have ever seen. You're a _dragon!_ Can't you do what you want?" Tying the strings to his pants, the blond picked up his shirt in the tangled mess of the blankets and stumbled his way towards Zoro. Each step left a humming pain through his body and it was rather annoying.

The dragon caught the chef's stiff movements, if the way he wrinkled his nose was anything to go by but he didn't comment and Sanji was thankful for that. He didn't want to have to draw anymore attention to his pain right now than was needed. "I'm going to take a shower before I start breakfast. Could you...would you be willing to not mention anything right now? I need to think."

"Are you ashamed of this?" The dragon snorted, not bothering to look back at him, hands loose at his sides as he waited for Sanji's answer. His tone was back to that higher authoritative quip he used with him all the time. "It was your scent I could smell after all."

"What? No. It's more just needing to come to terms with it all, ya know? I would do it again in a heartbeat! If you'd let me..." he quickly added, feeling his cheeks flush and mentally rolling his eyes at himself and his stupid childlike behavior.

"Sanji," Zoro twisted to face him then, raising an arm to press his hand against the uninjured side of the chef's neck before moving up to his cheek. Leaning in, he pressed a simple kiss to the corner of Sanji's mouth before pulling away and breaking all contact. "I will be in my pool. Come get me when breakfast is ready?"

Ducking his head and flicking his eyes to the side, Sanji nodded and swallowed, before clearing his throat. "Yeah; yes. I will come get you. Thank you Zoro." He turned without another word, padding off barefoot and ducking through the break into the wall that led to the wine cellar. The chef watched him go, catching the way the tails of the sash swayed with his hips and the muscles of his back rippled from the slight swing of his arms.

Sanji stood there for only a moment longer, just until Zoro was out of sight before he remembered that he actually had things to do and made his way to the surface. No one was in the kitchen thankfully, but the sun was up and he pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was early still, if he was quick he could hopefully make it to his room without being noticed, take a fast shower and make a quick breakfast that wouldn't be all that late in the end.

It was the perfect plan and the blond made it to his room safely, sighing as he locked his door and headed to his bathroom. Closing that door as well, he let his mind wander, pulling off his shirt and dropping his pants and kicking them to his hamper in the corner. Putting his back to the full length mirror of the bathroom, letting the building steam and the thunder of the water sooth him, Sanji twisted to look over his shoulder prepared for the worst.

And he wasn't disappointed. He knew having Zoro pretty much grind those horn buds against his spine would leave marks, but he didn't expect them to be so well formed and look so black in just a matter of hours. Two long oval looking shapes rested on either side of his spine, lighter purple spreading out from those. They looked nasty, worst bruise Sanji could ever recall having, even worse than when he broke his ribs the first time in school.

Sucking in a sharp breath he twisted a little more, catching sight of the finger tip bruising splattered across his hips as well and frowned at it. He got the sudden idea that he would have to talk to Zoro about how aggressive he wanted to man handle him...or was it dragon handle him? Whatever and smack him on the end of his snout with a rolled up newspaper. He chuckled at that, but in all seriousness would have to talk to the other man about that.

He liked having rough sex, come on, who didn't once in a while? But if the dragon was going to be like this every time, he wasn't sure how long his body could take it. Zoro's little massage had helped a bit, but he had clearly evaded this part of his back and running a hand through his hair, Sanji climbed into the shower, letting his shoulder drop as the water hit his skin.

There was another bruise to his chest from where Zoro bit him and he had caught a quick glimpse of the one to his neck. Even with a collared shirt on there was no way he was going to hide that thing. The chef wondered if he could get a hold of Law before breakfast, make the doctor swear on his patient confidentiality crap to not say anything and get the guy to heal him, even if it was just that one, but decided against it.

This was his mark to bear after all. His brand that he had slept with the mighty beast, been claimed and taken and a shudder ran through him at the thought, same as it had the night before. Zoro had chosen him. Of course a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that he himself had been pining over the dragon for months now, never sure if it was returned or not.

Letting the water run over his body was great, but he had shit to do and reached for his shampoo. Waking up wrapped in his arms had been a shock, but he had felt so peaceful, so at ease it was wonderful. Sanji decided as he closed his eyes and scrubbed at his scalp that he wouldn't mind waking up like that more often. Maybe he could even get Zoro to come up here to his room and they could sleep in a real bed and not his oddly comfortable rock bowl.

Scrubbing the rest of him, the chef rinsed before he climbed out of the shower and scowled at his reflection, eyes trained on the large bruise across his neck. It wasn't as bad as the one on his back, but it was still apparent he had been bit and from the four puncture marks in it, it was clear it was animalistic as well. Now that narrowed the options on who he could have slept with down by a lot right there.

Man all this was killing the morning after buzz he had woken up in. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Sanji rested his hands on the sink and exhaled slowly. There wasn't much he could do about it so he might as well just face it. Moving to pick up his towel, he ran it through his hair once more before opening the bathroom door and finding clothes.

Jeans and a dark T-shirt later, he could keep the ones on his back out of sight at any rate, he slipped into his shoes and made his way down to the kitchen. Nami and Brook flew by, cawing and flying at one another as they made their way down the hall towards the library, but the birds completely ignored him and other than that, he didn't see anyone.

Pushing into the dinning room made him pause though as he could hear his pans clinking and muffled sighs. Who the hell could be in the kitchen? He knew it wasn't Zoro, for once, but that left so many other options. Ugh and he really wanted a cigarette...so much for his peaceful morning. Mentally preparing himself, Sanji pushed into the kitchen, just hoping there wasn't too large of a mess to clean.

"Sanji!" The shrill voice of Perona was something no man should have to hear first thing and he inwardly cringed as she whipped about to face him. Her dark eyes were wide and her ever present ear bud strings swayed about her throat. "Where were you? You weren't in your room and no one had seen...what is _that?!"_

His hand snapped to his neck and he had no idea how in the hell she got across the kitchen so fast. "Uhh..." the chef started, his own eyes wide as she crowded into his space and pulled his fingers aside.

"Oh that looks horrible! Has Law seen it? That's so gross. How did you get that?" She pulled away, dropping his hand and Sanji just let it fall limply to his side. "It's so uncute! Quite the color purple though. Robin would love it! You have to show her!"

"No!" Sanji barked, snapping his jaw shut at the surprised look on the pink haired girl's face. "I mean, no. Perona, dear, Robin doesn't need to see this, I'm sorry you had to. It's nothing." He gave her a wistful smile, hoping she would drop it and move along so he could start him morning routine.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Crossing her arms, she pouted, her little "hmph!" with a stomp of her foot. "It looks new though. Are those puncture marks?"

"Unfortunately," the blond chef grumbled, slipping around her to start on breakfast. "What were you making?"

"What bit you? It doesn't look like a dog. We don't even have a...wait." The sound of a hand being slapped on one of his prep tables made Sanji jump and he looked back over his shoulder at the girl as an evil grin crossed her lips. "Oh. My. _God! _Sanji! You didn't!"

"Didn't what?" He was trying to keep a straight face, but dammit, just thinking about it was making him crack a small smile. The warmth of Zoro's body, the feral aggression...yeah, it was a huge turn on and he couldn't repress the flush that ran through his body if he tried.

"I have to find Zoro!" And she dashed out the screen door, screaming the reptile's name.

Sanji dropped his head with a sigh. Forget breakfast, he really needed that cigarette and he followed along, pulling one and lighting it the second he crossed that thresh hold into the backyard. His shoes crunched along the stone of the walk, Merry out enjoying a morning snack, completely oblivious to what was going on around her. Lucky sheep.

"Zoro!" Perona's voice cut through the air followed by a splash that sounded a lot like the dragon crawling into the pool. Moving quickly up the steps and rounding the corner into the pool area, he found the pink haired girl with her hands on her hips, glaring down at the water of the pool. Stomping her foot, she turned when she heard Sanji approaching. "He just went under! He won't talk to me."

"Perona, darling, can we talk? Can I explain?" He knew reasoning with her was useless, but he had to try.

"Oh, you better! And I want all the details!" Her evil little grin came back and the chef repressed the urge to roll his eyes. As the two moved down the side of the pool towards the benches, Zoro popped up, water trailing off his scales and he snorted, sending droplets about like rain. He didn't speak, simply watched, moving to the edge of the pool with them, resting his head on his front feet that gripped the pool's edge.

Sanji wanted to touch him, to run a hand over the sharp scales carefully, but he wasn't sure how much affection he wanted to allow Perona to see right now, nor was he sure exactly how comfortable Zoro would be with it. He was pretty sure the water lizard wouldn't care though.

Sitting down on Zoro's lounger as Perona sat on the other one, he watched as the dragon twisted, raising a back foot to scratch behind one of his horns before turning to the pink haired girl with a sigh. "Yes."

"Yes...what?" The grin on her face told him she knew, just wanted to hear him say it and dammit if he didn't oblige her.

"Zoro and I slept together. Last night." He could feel his face heating up and the dragon snorted again, blowing more water at them both. Sanji sucked in a drag off his smoke, feeling the toxic air fill his lungs and calming him. He felt so much better now, despite the evil smirk on the other human's features.

"Perona." Zoro's deep rumble cut through the air and both snapped their attention to the dragon. Water glinted off his scales in the morning sun and Sanji felt his breath catch in his throat. There was something stunning and amazing about the dragon, a majestic power he couldn't hope to describe. He arched his neck back, the sun glinting off the water droplets along his scales like tiny diamonds. Turning his head, the newt narrowed his eye at them. "Do not go telling everyone in the manor about this. The cook has expressed a desire..."

"It's fine, Zoro. Really. They are going to find out anyways. As soon as Robin touches either of us she will know and then so will everyone else." He had never seen the drake shrug in his dragon form before, but he was pretty sure that's what he did, flicking his tail back and forth in the water as he did so, moving to rest his head on his front feet once more.

"I'm not going to tell!" Still wearing the large grin, Perona jumped up, moving to Zoro and throwing her arms around his muzzle. "I'm actually really happy! I know how hard this time of year is for you!" Pulling away, she patted his scales softly between his eyes, her voice lowering and sounding more somber, if for only a moment. "Really. I'm glad you are able to find that hold with Sanji. You always seem right on the edge of losing yourself."

The dragon hummed, a deep and low vibration across the cement as he closed his eye. Then she broke the mood with a giggle and Perona turned back to Sanji. "When you gonna make breakfast?!"

Sanji scoffed, pulling another drag from his smoke and stood, watching as Perona walked away with out even giving him a chance to explain anything further. Stuffing a hand in his pocket, he turned as well, heading back towards the house when the dragon's tail fell to block his path. Raising an eyebrow, he looked over to the lizard and reached out this time, letting his free hand run over the scales. He was warm, as the dragon always was, water slick under the chef's palm.

The drake closed his eye again, titling his head slightly into the touch of Sanji's hand and the blond moved to scratch at the base of his horn where his mane started, gaining a small contented purr from the large beast. "What do you want for breakfast?" He asked quietly, focusing more on scratching the drake.

The dragon remained quiet for a moment before with a splash he transformed right there, leaving the blond scratching at thin air before he hauled his drenched ass out of the pool. Water cascaded everywhere and with a sigh, Sanji stepped back, pulling another drag off his smoke. "The hell Zoro?!"

He did shrug this time, wiping water off his shoulders as he turned to face the blond. "I want to come with you. Or is that not allowed?" He grinned mischievously, the quirk of his lip tugging at his scars and Sanji bit at his lip, really wanting to kiss that stupid look off his face.

"No," he managed, sucking on his cigarette to give himself a moment. "I would like that actually."

"Good." Giving a sharp nod, Zoro stepped towards him and Sanji took one back, reaching out and pressing a finger tip to the dragon's chest.

"Ah no, you're all wet and I'm dry now." The chef watched as the dragon tilted his head down before pressing against his hand and stepping forwards. Tanned fingers came up and wrapped around his wrist, holding Sanji at arm's length. His grip wasn't tight though, still playful and his actions reminded the blond that the dragon was acting like a big cat. "What are you doing?" He laughed as he spoke, actually enjoying this turn of behaviors in the dragon.

"I wish I could see." Zoro's voice was low, but he was still smiling, the small smirk Sanji had learned meant he was actually happy, playing at his mouth. "I mean, really see. I want to see the light in your eyes Cook and see the smile I hear in your voice."

"Zoro..." Sanji stopped trying to back away and the dragon tugged him close, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug and just holding on. The drake inhaled deeply, burying his face in Sanji's neck.

"I didn't realize till this morning how much I missed this. I have been so focused for so long on everything else that I forgot what it was like to feel the heart beat of another." The Southern Green's voice vibrated against Sanji's skin and he pulled back until he was able to look at the older man. Zoro frowned, turning his head to the side and taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm still rather...I'm not fully in control of my emotions yet. I won't be for another week or so."

"I gathered as much." Sanji ran a hand through his hair, smirking as the dragon tilted into the touch and hummed happily. "You do this every year?"

"Every year." Opening his eye, the dragon inhaled deeply through his nose. "It's been really hard this year with you here. Being able to smell you and trying to control the urges...you just broke my will last night." Zoro moved to kiss him and Sanji met him, light pecks giving way to something a bit deeper, a bit more meaningful before the drake pulled away. "Thank you."

"For?" Sanji raised an eyebrow at him as they finally started to make their way back to the kitchen. The blond snubbed the burnt butt of his smoke on his shoe and pocketed it as they walked. Zoro walked quietly for a little, picking his way over the rocks with his bare feet, head tilted towards the ground. They didn't touch, but Sanji didn't feel they needed to, the contentment of just being in one another's presence enough for the time being.

"For breaking me. For pulling me back from that edge. I feel more alive today than I have in a long time; and you are the reason for that Sanji." Reaching out, the drake tugged him close, an arm snaking around the cook's waist. "Enough though, let's go make breakfast."

"I'm not quite sure how you can help though. You just did admit to not being able to see and I have no use for blind salamanders in my kitchen." With a snort, Zoro pushed Sanji away, but he didn't care, too busy laughing at the huffing dragon in the walkway.


End file.
